Spinning float and reciprocating drive for concrete finishing machines



y 4, 1968 B. c. LOVELAND ETAL 3,382,784

SPINNING FLOAT AND RECIPROCATING DRIVE FOR CONCRETE FINISHING MACHINES Filed Oct. 21, 1965 2 SheetsSheet 1 577 3 INVENTORS Earn/mm filave/ana BY flu/ray Fan/e y 1968 B. c. LOVELAND ETAL 3,382,784

SPINNING FLOAT AND RECIPROCATING DRIVE FOR CONCRETE FINISHING MACHINES Filed Oct. 2.1, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 56 59 w 5 5 56 56 57 w t 52 I a :1 -13 z 55 R 6 I NVE NTORJ United States Patent 3,382,784 SPINNING FLOAT AND RECIPROCATING DRIVE FOR CONCRETE FINISHING MACHINES Burnham C. Loveland'and Murray A. Rowe, Canton, S. Dak., assignors to K. & R. Industries, Inc., Canton, S. Dak., a corporation of South Dakota Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,999 2 Claims. (CI. 94-45) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A concrete finishing machine for concrete paved roadways having a float which reciprocates longitudinally of the roadway while being carried laterally of the roadway by its carriage. Vanes are provided to control the concrete at the sides of this float and cleaning vanes may also be used.

Our invention relates to a bull-float for finishing concrete.

An object of our invention is to provide a bull-float which includes certain unique features, such as a spinning arrangement and a novel type of reciprocating drive, together with other features for disposing of excessive material, etc.

A further object of our invention is to provide a spinner arrangement which eventually assists the bull-float to strike off the grade while the spinner itself fills the voids in the concrete.

With these and other objects in view, our invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of our device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in our claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which.

FIGURE 1 is asectional view taken generally along the lines 1-1 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is an end view of FIGURE 1, 1

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the lines 44 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of a modification,

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of a further modification, and

FIGURE 8 is a side elevation of FIGURE 7.

Our invention contemplates the provision of certain arrangements attachable to bull-floats and for providing more efiicient operation of the same when finishing ofi concrete, and relates to that type of bull-float which reciprocates along its longitudinal axis, as it travels in a direction at right angles to such axis, except that it is also gradually moved along the roadway in parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bull-float.

Our invention relates especially to that type of apparatus disclosed in the Seymour P. Bidwell Patent No. 3,208,361, issued Sept. 28, 1965, and others of this type.

In describing our invention it will be necessary to describe only the bull-float structure itself and with the attendant adjacent parts, and We have used the character 10 to indicate a pair of square-in-section tubes which engage the rollers 11 and 12, these rollers being adapted to roll along the edges 13 of the tubes during reciprocating motion of the bull-float structure, these tubular members and the like being clearly disclosed in the aforesaid Bidwell patent, and we have further used the character 14 to indicate vertical bars or supports suitably attached to the upper roller structure, the supports 14 being secured substantially as at 15 to an elongated bull-float member indicated by the character 16.

3,382,784 Patented May 14, 1968 Also attached to the bull-float 16 are the various brackets and braces 17 and 18 together with the further braces 19, the character 20 indicating further portions.

Extending from the portions 20 and 18 are the cars 21, and journaled within the cars 21 is a shaft 22 which is secured within the cylindrical hollow member 23 having the conical ends 24.

The shaft 22 is journaled within the member 23 so that it is slightly off center as shown in FIGURE 4 so that the eccentricity of the shaft will thereby provide a beating action downwardly as the member 23 rotates, the dotted line in FIGURE 4 showing the upper position and the solid line showing the lower position.

The character 25 indicates a platform upon which is mounted an electric motor 26 which drives a pulley 27 which in turn drives a belt 28 which engages a further larger pulley 29 which in turn drives a further smaller pulley 30 which drives the belt 31 which drives the pulley 32 which is attached to the shaft 22, thereby providing an approximately 3 to 1 ratio drive from the electric motor to the rotating member 23, the motor usually being approximately 1800 rpm. and with the member 23 thereby rotating at the rate of 600 rpm. The character 33 indicates further brackets.

In describing the drive of our invention, we have used the character 33a to indicate brace rods attached between the members 14, and attached to the rods 33:; is a centrally positioned platform 34 having an elongated slot 35 therein.

' The character 36 indicates a further platform extending into the vertically positioned portions 37 which are suitably attached to the transverse support straps 38 which are attached between the members 10. Supported on the platform 36 are the drive members including an electric motor 39 driving the belt 40 which in turn drives the further pulley 41 which drives a suitable gear arrangement in the gear box 42, which in turn drives the shaft 43 and sprocket 44. Engaging the sprocket 44 is the sprocket chain 45 which engages a further sprocket 46 which is attached to the shaft 47 which is suitably journaled at 48, and attached to the sprocket chain 45 is a pin 49 which is received within the slot 35.

The arrangement operates in the following manner. As the chain 45 travels in the direction of the arrow 50 (see FIGURE 1), the engagement of the pin 49 with the slot 35 will carry the bull-float 16 in the direction of the arrow 51, and then when the pin 49 passes about the sprocket 44 and then passes in the direction of the arrow 52, the bull-float will be moved in the direction of the arrow 53, this action thereby causing reciprocation of the bull-float in these directions, the slot 35 permitting a movement of the pin 49 from one side to the other and this thereby provides an eflicient method of causing the necessary reciprocating action.

The spinning or rotating member 23 provides an important function in that the constant downwardly applied eccentric action as shown in FIGURE 4 will assist in causing the thinner and lighter materials to rise to the surface and will provide a smooth evening action while the float is reciprocating, this spinning member also obtainin g grout to fill the voids.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a further modification which can be used. In this modification, we use a reciprocating float 16 as described above. Hinged as at 54 to the sides of the float 16 are the flaps 55 which are adapted to abut against the stop members 56 which are attached to the float. The character 57 indicates suitable supporting bars which are attached to the above described rollers 11 and 12, and thus become part of the reciprocating carriage.

The flaps 55 and stops 56 are attached to the float 16 preferably near the forward end 58. However, they may be placed anywhere along the sides of the floateven well to the rear. Also, we prefer to use a plurality of pairs of flaps and stops, although in rare cases a single pair might accomplish the purpose.

The function of the flaps is to pick up excess concrete and make certain that it is smoothed into the roadway surface. This is accomplished by holding as much of the excess as possible alongside the float until some void or voids in the slab are encountered. The float will then press the excess concrete into the void and thereby dispose of it.

The operation of the flaps will now be apparent. As the carriage moves the float to the rear, in the direction of the arrow 53, the flaps 55 will assume the horizontal positions shown in FIGURE 6, thereby permitting these flaps to proceed through the excess material without moving the same. As the float strokes forwardly in the direction of the arrow 51 however, these flaps are forced into a vertical position and against the stops 56 thereby engaging the surplus concrete and moving it forwardly.

The flaps, by carrying the excess concrete, in effect hold it alongside the float and move it forwardly until it is deposited under the float. This function is important because the concrete normally builds up on the front end 58 of the float particularly on the lateral edge which is moving into the unsmoothed concrete. The front corner which trails (in the lateral direction) usually does not have a buildup of excess because the movement of the float works the excess into the slab. However, if it does trail a little, that bit may well be picked up on the next pass over the slab.

FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate a further modification which will also provide a similar result, and in this modification the character 59 indicates the rear end of the float 16, and the character 60 indicates brackets which are attached to the stationary portions of the arrangement such as to the tubes 10 for instance. It should be noted that these brackets are attached to a non-reciprocating part of the machine toward the rearward end of the float, and that the float 16 being supported by the bars 57, therefore reciprocates between the brackets. Attached to the bracket 60 are the scrapers 61 mounted closely adjacent to the float 16, and in this construction the float will reciprocate with the scrapers being stationary, and any sur- 4 plus will thereby pile up in front of the scraper and will not trail olf the back end.

It should be understood specifically that certain modifications could be made in our invention without departing from the basic purposes and spirit of our invention, and it will be noted that we have provided the advantages set forth in the objects of our invention with further advantages being apparent.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of our invention without departing from the real spirit and purpose of our invention, and it is our intention to cover by our claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

We claim as our invention:

1. In combination with a reciprocating type bull-float adapted to be carried from side to side of a roadway while also being reciprocated forwardly and rearwardly, a plurality of normally vertically positioned flaps pivotally attached in spaced relationship along the sides of said bull-float, stop membersattached to said bull-float for engaging said flaps, movement of said bull-float rearwardly causing said flaps to assume a horizontal position when said flaps pass through concrete forming material.

2. In combination with a carriage for a bull-float, said carriage being adapted to be moved from side to side of a roadway, bull-float means mounted on said carriage for reciprocating motion forwardly and rearwardly thereof, bracket means stationarily mounted on said carriage, and scraper means carried by said bracket means in position adjacent to the sides of said bull-float whereby material is scraped from the sides of said float as it reciprocates relative to said carriage.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,533,464 4/1925 Robb 9445 2,032,205 2/1936 Gage 94-45 2,603,132 7/1952 Miller 94-45 2,687,679 8/1954 Clary 9445 3,208,361 9/1965 Bidwell 94-45 JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Primary Examiner. 

